Things I Find Fascinating: Words You Can Make Using Letters From The Name "Mitt Romney"

If you're looking for a political rant, you're not going to find one here. Depending on your political leanings, you may find that some of the words I've come up with using the letters of Mitt Romney's name could be used to describe him or at least your opinion of him. If that's the case, it's unintentional. My purpose today (and tomorrow when I make words from the letters of Barack Obama's name) is not to build up or tear down the character of the man, but simply to build interesting words using letters from his name. No hidden agendas, just mindless word games. That being said, enjoy...

1)  ENORMITY:  (1) Outrageous or heinous character; atrociousness. (2) Greatness of size, scope, extent, or influence; immensity.

2)  METONYM:  A figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related, or of which it is a part.  (Examples: Using "scepter" for "sovereignty," "the bottle" for "strong drink," or "count heads" for "count people.")

"Washington is badly broken. I think we recognize that.
Washington has not dealt with the problems
that we have in this nation." ~ Mitt Romney

Here Romney is using "Washington" as a metonym not to indicate that the city itself is actually broken and in need of repair, but rather that the United States government system (which is, of course, seated in its capital, Washington, D.C.) is broken.



3)  OMITTER:  One who leaves out, or fails to include or mention something.

4)  TORMENT:  (1)  A state of great bodily or mental suffering; agony; misery.  (2) Something that causes great bodily or mental pain or suffering.  (3) A source of much trouble, worry, or annoyance.

5)  ENMITY:  A feeling or condition of hostility; hatred; ill will; animosity; antagonism.

6)  MEMOIR:  (1) A record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation.  (2) An account of one's personal life and experiences; autobiography.  (3) A biography or biographical sketch.

7)  MERINO:  (1) One of a breed of sheep, raised originally in Spain, valued for their fine wool.  (2) Wool from such sheep.  (3)  A yarn or fabric made from this wool.

(On a related note, the word ROMNEY is defined as: "One of an English breed of hardy sheep, having coarse, long wool.")

Merino Wool

Romney Wool

8)  OTTER:  Any of several aquatic, fur-bearing, weasel-like mammals of the genus Lutra and related genera, having webbed feet and a long, slightly flattened tail.

Butch Otter (left) with Mitt Romney (right)

9)  MIMER:  An actor who specializes in the art or technique of portraying a character, mood, idea, or narration by gestures and bodily movements.

10)  MONEY:  (1) Any circulating medium of exchange, including coins, paper money, and demand deposits.  (2) Gold, silver, or other metal in pieces of convenient form stamped by public authority and issued as a medium of exchange and measure of value.  (3)  Any article or substance used as a medium of exchange, measure of wealth, or means of payment, as checks on demand deposit or cowrie.

11)  OMEN:  Anything perceived or happening that is believed to portend a good or evil event or circumstance in the future; portent.

12)  YETI:  A legendary large, hairy, humanoid creature said to inhabit the Himalayas; another term for the Abominable Snowman.

Yeti

Romney

*All definitions courtesy of Dictionary.com .

"Blue" Songs

On days like today, when I can't think of anything else to blog about, I come up with a theme that interests me and post random stuff about it. Today. it's a collection of songs entitled "Blue." I've never even heard of half of these bands and artists before, but apparently they all have one thing in common: they have recorded a song called simply "Blue." So here goes. Enjoy?  ~  JH


1)  The Birthday Massacre – Let's see...creepy dolls that walk around in your house. Check. A cute emo girl in a white dress with bunny ears. Check. A hole in the floor filled with black goo. Check. Sounds like the stuff of nightmares. Which means, of course, that I kind of like it. Go figure!

2)  A Perfect Circle – A lady visits her man's grave, then decides to dig up his body so she can eat dinner with him. But, like a dead man, he just sits there unmoving and not eating, which causes her to laugh hysterically and almost spit up her pale-green soup (don't want to know what's in it). Strange video. Okay song. Perfect for this post.

3)  LeAnn Rimes – Then 13 years old, chubby-cheeked, and oh-so-innocent, all-american girl LeAnn Rimes channeled Patsy Cline to shoot to the top of the charts with this remake of a 1958 Bill Mack song. It's still a good song, but they overplayed it back then (I was "into" country music at the time) and I got sick of it. Nice to hear it again after all these years.

4)  Joni Mitchell – This list wouldn't be complete without including this classic Joni Mitchell song, the title track from her Blue album. I love her voice – she could be singing about changing a tire, tying her shoe, or having the flu, and it would still sound beautiful. No video here, just her smooth vocals.

5)  Eiffel 65 – This has got to be one of the worst songs I've ever heard, and most definitely one of the worst music videos. The pointlessly stupid lyrics would be terrible even if they were written by a kindergartner. The cheesy computer-generated special effects were bad even for 1998 when this video was made. Watching this video, I realize that it would only be halfway decent if I were under the influence of psychotropic drugs (which I'm not). So why was I tapping my foot the whole time I was watching it? All I can say is: I dare you not to. Let me know how that goes, okay?

6)  Elastica – There was a time, back in my grunge rock days (yes, I liked grunge rock), when I would have been ecstatic to watch this video. Elastica was one of my favorite alternative bands. Being partial to "girl singers," I loved the fact that the band's two singers were both ladies. Their all-out rock-and-roll style appealed to me at the time. I even remember this song fairly well. But now that I'm older and wiser, this all sounds like a bunch of noise to me. That surprises me, and saddens me. But only a little.

7)  The Jayhawks – I was never a huge fan of this alt-country band, but apparently this song was one of their bigger hits. The video is more recent (this song charted back in 1995), and the guys are a bit older – perhaps their voices aren't quite as polished as they once were, but it's still pretty darn good for the style of music that it is. (For you sports fans out there, I thought these guys would hail from Kansas, being named what they are. But nope, they're from Minnesota.)

8)  Smashing Pumpkins – Again, in my grunge rock days, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Smashing Pumpkins! I still appreciate their musical talent and Billy Corgan's unusual, very distinctive voice, though I don't actively listen to their music anymore. This is a nice video of them doing one of their songs live and outdoors several years before they hit it big. Even if you don't care for his voice, the musicality of the song is quite lovely.

9)  Utada Hikaru – I have no idea what this singer is singing about, as the entire song is in Japanese, but it's beautiful. Her voice is stunning! I've never heard of her before, but I'm going to look for more of her music. It's such a pleasant sound it doesn't even really matter what she's saying – to me, at least.

10)  Yngwie Malmsteen – I probably should have heard of this guy before, but I haven't. He's an exceptionally good rock guitarist, rivaling Jimi Hendrix, Slash, and (insert your own favorite guitarist here). No vocals here, just intense electric guitar playing, and it's pretty cool! His name, not so cool. Yngwie? Really? Wow!

BONUS TRACK: The Blue Man Group – If you've never heard of the Blue Man Group or never seen a video of them performing, you have to watch this one! Primarily percussionists, these blue-makeup-clad guys use nontraditional percussion instruments (along with traditional instruments in their backing band) to perform a very unique style of music. They put a lot of theatricality into it, which I really appreciate. Take a look for yourself – in this video, they're using drainage pipes as their instrument of choice.

Skit: "You Gotta Eat"

Just wrote this one out of the blue. The message is not that "church-hopping" is a good thing – I don't think it's a good idea to do that indefinitely, and definitely not without a clear goal in mind. The message is not that I have issues with my own church (Unity Free Will Baptist Church) – I love my church, and am fully convinced that "meat" is served there on a regular basis. The message is that you can't grow spiritually if you're not being fed spiritually. If all you ever get fed is milk, then all you'll ever be is a spiritual baby. (I Corinthians 3: 1-2)  The message is also that you shouldn't rely on your pastor and your church to be the only sources of your spiritual food. You should read and study the Word on your own on a daily basis. That's how you grow. Am I guilty of not doing this faithfully? Absolutely. So I'm talking to myself here as much as anybody else. Call it a reminder for me and for you of what we as Christians ought to be doing. If you're not even a spiritual baby yet, talk to someone you know who's a Christian, and ask them what it's all about. They'll be glad to usher you into the family of believers. Now for the skit....

YOU GOTTA EAT

DENISE:  Hi. I'm Denise.

ED:  Hello, Denise.

DENISE:  What's your name?

ED:  Ed.

DENISE:  Hi, Ed. If you don't mind, I'd like to give you something.

ED:  Okay. What is it?

DENISE:  It's an invitation.

ED:  To what?

DENISE:  Read it and see.

ED:  "Montosat Minuswed Community Church"?

DENISE:  That's right.

ED:  That's quite a name.

DENISE:  We're quite a church!

ED:  No offense, but I'm not much into the church thing.

DENISE:  That's okay. We're not either.

ED:  Excuse me?

DENISE:  What I mean is, we're not your typical church. We don't meet on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings, or even Wednesday nights like most churches.

ED:  Well, when do you meet?

DENISE:  Monday through Saturday, excluding Wednesday.

ED:  Monday through Saturday? 

DENISE:  Excluding Wednesday.

ED:  That's a lot of church services!

DENISE:  Well, you know what they say. You gotta eat. We find that folks get too hungry if they only eat on Sundays and Wednesdays. So our members go to their regular church services on those days and come to us all the other days.

ED:  So, let me get this straight. You don't actually have church, you just feed people?

DENISE:  No, silly! We feed people by having church.

ED:  I think you lost me there.

DENISE:  Spiritual food!

ED:  You mean, like, manna and fishes and loaves – stuff like that?

DENISE:  Not exactly. You see, the Word of God is our food. It feeds our spiritual hunger. We can't just go to church on Sunday and Wednesday, get fed by the Word, and expect to live it out the other five days. You gotta eat every day.

ED:  Well, that makes sense, I suppose. But doesn't that get a bit – I don't know – tiring, being at church all the time like that?

DENISE:  Sometimes. But it's a sacrifice we make willingly. Because we want to be fed.

ED:  Why can't you just read and study the Bible on your own time, at home or on your lunch break at work?

DENISE:  Well, we could, of course. But we wouldn't do it. It's just like that old saying goes: "Out of sight, out of mind." If we're not reminded constantly that we need to read the Word, and pray, and tell others the good news of the Gospel, then we simply won't do it. So we go to church every day to feed our souls and refresh our hearts.

ED:  Okay, I get what you're saying. But let me ask you this: If you're really that hungry for the Word, won't you be compelled to read it for yourself whenever and wherever you need it, to satisfy that hunger? Won't it consume you in such a way that you have to fill that void immediately, not wait till the next church service – even if one is held every night?

DENISE:  I – I don't – 

ED:  It just seems to make sense to me that you eat when you're hungry, not just when someone tells you it's time to eat.

DENISE:  So you're saying that we shouldn't have church services every single day of the week?

ED:  That's not for me to decide. I'm just saying you shouldn't have to.

DENISE:  Are you sure you don't go to church somewhere? You seem to really know what you're talking about.

ED:  Oh, I've been to church plenty of times in my life. I just haven't found one that will satisfy my needs yet. 

DENISE:  Oh? And what needs are those?

ED:  Well, spiritually speaking, I need meat. And every church I've ever been to only serves milk. I know it does a body good, but I've gotta have more than just milk if I'm going to grow.

DENISE:  Can I have that brochure back now, Ed?

ED:  Sure. What's the problem?

DENISE:  You wouldn't like my church, either.

ED:  Oh yeah? Why not?

DENISE:  All we serve is spiritual broccoli. Pretty on the outside, even a bit nutritious. But all you taste is bitterness.

ED:  Ugh!

DENISE:  Yeah. Come to think of it, I'm not too crazy about it myself.

ED:  Understandably so.

DENISE:  Well, don't give up, Ed. I'm sure you'll find a church that will feed your soul. Till then, stay in the Word.

ED:  Of course, I will. And you do the same. After all, you gotta eat.

THE END

Things I Find Fascinating: Real Names Of Famous People

Do you think Michael Caine would have ever made it big if 

he'd gone by his real name, Maurice Micklewhite? Probably not.

 This lovely and talented lady made a name for herself as 

an actress and dancer. But she must have thought her birth 

name of Tula Ellice Finklea wouldn't get her very far, so she 

changed her name to the more poetic-sounding Cyd Charisse.

For some reason, the name Vincent Damon Furnier just didn't

have that scary rock star vibe he was going for. So he changed

 his name to Alice Cooper. Yeah, that's SO much better!

 Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, everyone's 

favorite jazz singer: Norma Deloris Egstrom! Haven't heard of her? 

Well, maybe you know her as Peggy Lee! (If you're my age or younger,  

you probably haven't heard of her at all -- but that's beside the point.)

Even with the old LP records of the day being much larger than 

the CD's of recent history, I don't think that the name Henry John 

Deutschendorf, Jr. would have fit very well running across the top 

there. So he changed his name to John Denver instead. Wise move.

Morgan Fairchild: A glamorous name for a glamorous lady. 

Had she gone by her original name of Patsy Ann McClenny, 

would she have been quite as famous? The world will never know...

Whether you know him as Little Joe from Bonanza, Pa Ingalls 

from Little House On The Prairie, or an earthbound angel on 

Highway To Heaven, you probably know that his real name is  

Michael Landon. Except that it isn't. His parents called him  

Eugene Orowitz.  He opted to change it. Thankfully.

The queen of 1990s romantic comedies was born with more 

names than you shake a proverbial stick at. This poor girl's parents 

got carried away and named her Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra 

at birth. Since that would never look right alongside the shortly-named 

Tom Hanks on the silver screen, she opted to go by, simply, Meg Ryan.

This is world-famous fashion designer, Ralph Lauren. 

Name at birth: Ralph Lipschitz. No comment.

You may know her from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Or, if
you're younger, you may recognize her as that pretty middle-aged
British lady on the jewelry commercials. Hollywood knows her as simply 
Jane Seymour. At birth, she was called (as the Brits say instead
of "named") Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg. Yeah, 
that would have never worked for her, I don't think. Good choice, Joyce.

Probably The Most Meaningful Poetry I've Ever Written (A Cycle Of Alpha Poetry)

All you have to do

Is everything.

We only expect

Your best.

But what if my best

Isn't good enough?

What if my everything

Isn't anything?

What then?

How will I ever live up

To your expectations?

Back with a vengeance

Feelings of sadness

Low self-esteem

Shame, self-pity

I say "back", but

They never really left

I just buried them

With facades of normalcy

As soon as I took off the cover

There they were

Waiting to be reborn.

Can hardly wait

Till tomorrow

Or the next day

Or the next day

Or whenever it is

That things get better.

Desperately seeking answers

I go to the Word, and find

More questions, but even more

Answers. He knows my thoughts

My dreams, my aspirations

My worries, my fears, my heart

And His best is yet to come.

Every time I'm not there

I feel guilty. But is it them

I don't want to disappoint? 

Or is it Him that I'm afraid

To lose? He's not going anywhere

And I'll be back, but how far

Will I have slipped in the meantime?

Fleeting thoughts

Of bad decisions

Quickly stifled.

There is a way

That seems right

In a certain light

But proves dreadful

In the light of day.

It's always better

When you can see

What you're getting into.

Green with envy

And not proud of it.

I struggle to reconcile

Myself with the fact

That others have more

Because they deserve it.

Maybe they work harder

Or maybe they're just lucky.

But worrying

About what I have

And what I don't

Won't do any good

And neither will wishing.

I can work harder

Try harder, be harder

And it will either happen

Or it won't. 

There's not much else

I can do to change things.

Happiness is

Overrated.

Contentment is

A better goal.

What's the difference?

One changes

Your perspective.

The other changes

Your life.

If you want to live

Your best life now

You won't find it

In a bestselling book

That only serves to

Make its author rich.

You won't find it

In wealth, either.

Hasn't it long been

Established that

Money can't buy

Happiness, and that

The love of money

Is the root of all evil?

Your best life now

Isn't green in color.

Your best life isn't

Being in the black.

Your best life is

Covered in red.

What's that?

Your best life now

Is putting your "later"

In the hands of the One

Who shed His red

For the blackness

Of your soul

So that you could

Be made white

And pure, and whole.

That's your best life.

Interested?

Just in the nick of time

I found my purpose.

I was *this close*

To giving in and settling

For mediocrity and stagnancy

When I realized – there's more

So much more that I can do

For my fellow man, so much

To live for, other than myself

And my interests and desires.

Right on time, I stopped myself

And let Him start His work.

Keeping her in mind

He bowed his head

And said a prayer

Of thanksgiving.

Grieving her death, but

Grateful for her life

And the joy she brought

To those around her

Some of whom she never

Knew by name, or by face

But whose heart she captured

By being herself, a servant

Faithful to the end.

Love is a four-letter word

But so is hate, and so is hope

And so is wait, and so is stay

And so is live, and so is cope.

Brief words speak volumes

While big words mean so little.

Most of what I say

Is meaningless.

Every now and then

I'll inject a bit of truth

Into my make-believe.

But I wouldn't joke

About this. Everything

I've said today, I've meant.

Believe it or not, I believe

In unseen things. Because 

The evidence is overwhelming.

Not what you expect

When you open a page

(Printed or posted).

You've seen it all before

(And maybe you have)

But this is new. This is

Real. This is life and death.

How will you respond?

Over time he's worked to gain

A better understanding

Of the things that scare him.

Like forever – a concept

He can't quite wrap his brain

Around, and that makes him

Physically ill to try to fathom.

And like forgiveness, which he's

Heard of all his life, and has

Experienced first-hand, but never

On that level. Never "total forgiveness"

No matter what he's done wrong

And regardless of what he's done right.

That just doesn't make sense.

It's not natural. Speaking of which –

He also can't fully grasp the truth

That the supernatural exists.

But he's studying, he's learning

And he's asking questions. There are

Plenty of people who are able to help him

Better comprehend. But are they willing?

Peace I've mined

From wells of wisdom

Ancient and modern

Has gotten me through

The toughest times

In my life – which

Admittedly have been few

But there have always

Been challenges. After all

If life isn't challenging

If there aren't difficulties

To learn from, then are we

Truly living, or just existing?

Quote the right sources

And the advice you give

Will be beneficial, and lasting.

Repeat the words of those

Who speak their minds

And not the truth, and you

Will likely do more harm

Than good. Think first, then speak.

Rounding the bend

And heading home

She stops to listen

Only for a second.

A cry for help

Distracts her.

She could just

Keep on moving

Reach her destination.

But the cry would

Haunt her dreams.

Not knowing if she

Could have saved a life

Or made a bad day better

She can't (she won't)

Just walk away.

This is her blessing

And her curse.

Sadly, most people

Won't ever read

A word I write.

I say "sadly" – not

From selfish motives

Or a desire to be

Widely read, well-known

Famous, if you will –

But because I feel

That there is truth

To be gleaned from 

Words I put in motion.

And I don't want anyone

Living their entire lives

Never knowing the truth

About the things that matter

Most. It may not always

Be obvious in what I say

Or how I say it. But it's there –

An ever-present vein

That ties it all together.

Read between the lines

And see the layer

Beneath the surface.

Truth in small quantities

Is still truth, regardless.

Time is never on your side

Tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

You may think your plans are set

But you might never, ever leave.

You are never in control

Even though you'd like to be

Don't consider this a sentence

It's letting go that makes you free.

Under a cloud

Of doubt

And despair

Of guilt

And fear

Of shame

And pain.

But hold on!

It gets better

Once it rains.

Vehemently opposed

To saving grace

He trudges through life

Denying the existence

Of his Creator

Loudly outspoken

In his conviction

That this is all there is.

At the end of his life

He's shocked to find

That there was more

And he missed it.

What you don't know

You don't need to know

The questions you have

In the scheme of things

Don't matter all that much

Are you that eager to meet

The God who made you

Face to face, just to ask

What happened to dinosaurs?

Where's the Garden of Eden?

Who wrote the book of Hebrews?

Once you're able to find the answers

You won't even care anymore.

All that will matter is that you're there

And He is, and that forever has begun.

"X" tattooed on his wrist

Or is it a cross? Let's say it is.

Is it a symbol of his redemption?

A constant reminder of nails

Driven through HIS wrists?

Does its presence tell others

WHOSE he is, or is it just a fad?

Does it mean anything?

Does it affect the way he lives?

Does he forget it's even there

And live by his own standards

While defying and denying HIS?

Interesting question.

You only live once

But if you're born twice

Your one life never ends.

Even if you're never born again

You'll never die again.

The difference is, you'll spend

The rest of your life (after life)

Tormented, desolate, wishing

You'd died to self, and been raised

To new life with Him. Too late

You'll realize that forever

Is only paradise if you spend it

There. Here is only heartache.

It's your life. Choose wisely.

Zoning out, dreaming of the day

When there will be no pain

No tears, no sorrow, no death

For those who are found in Him.

(Unreality compared to what we know now)

When the supernatural becomes

The norm, and we are glorified

In body and soul, what once seemed

Impossible will have been revealed.

And we will dwell with Him

Who makes all things possible

Forever

And ever

And ever

And ever

And ever...

Oodles Of Fun

For the second straight weekend, we have holed ourselves up in our house and set our hands, arms, legs, and anything else that will bend to painting our house. Well, parts of our house, at least. (And maybe I was exaggerating about the leg-painting....) Last weekend, it was the downstairs living and dining room area. This weekend, it was supposed to be doors and the walls surrounding our stairs up to the second floor. It ended up being just the doors. That and hanging five sets of blinds took all weekend long. (Obviously, we have a lot of doors.)

Over the past three-and-a-half weeks, our contractor/guy has replaced all the countertops in our upstairs and downstairs bathrooms and our kitchen; he has scraped the linoleum from our bathrooms and kitchen and replaced them with vinyl (upstairs bath only) and laminate (downstairs bath and kitchen); he has painted our bathrooms (upstairs and downstairs) and kitchen; he has repaired the sheet rock in our bedroom and third-floor bonus room where we had previously had leaks; he has replaced or repaired all three of our toilets and installed protective trim in our shower; he has installed shoe molding everywhere we didn't have it before and replaced it where it had to be removed to do the flooring; he replaced our over-the-stove microwave and is going to replace the light fixtures in our kitchen and dining area; he has taught us how to properly caulk, how to build a window cornice, and is going to teach us how to mud walls in order to patch sheet rock.

Did I mention that "he" did all of this: I should probably qualify that a little. He knows a guy who professionally installs vinyl, and that guy and his assistant actually installed the vinyl upstairs. He also has a guy whose expertise is spraying the "popcorn" on ceilings, and that guy did that in our bedroom and skylight area after our guy replaced the sheet rock. Our contractor/guy can basically do everything -- I'm not exaggerating. He had to take three days off from our project the week before last to do a framing job for a guy he works for regularly. This week, he starts working on the crew of a big stone masonry job. But he'll still come by after his day job to finish up a last few things for us. This guy is amazing!

We've put in plenty of hours doing all this painting, a bit of packing and decluttering, cleaning, and oh yeah, hanging those blinds. But our guy's put in plenty more hours doing all that he's done. Of course, we're paying him for everything he's done, but not an exorbitant amount, all things considered. His pricing is fair, he is extremely honest, and we trust him (to the point where I will let him in the house each morning before I go to work and just let him do this thing all day without having to look over his shoulder the whole time, or worry about our (few) valuables being stolen while we're gone.

He works hard, but still saves a bit of his (seemingly boundless) energy for his wife and three kids when he leaves here. His wife makes and sells tamales, and since he's been coming regularly, we've been buying and eating her tamales. (They're wonderful, by the way!) To top it all off, he's a fellow believer, and we've had several great conversations about our Christian faith. We've also shared quite a few laughs.

The big remodeling project will, in all likelihood, be finished before this week is over, and there are many things about it that I won't miss. The day-after-day-after-day of eating takeout because our kitchen was a construction zone and utterly unusable. The three nights we spent on the inflatable bed in the guest bedroom while our bedroom was being worked on. The several days, in the middle of our painting project, when all of our living room furniture was pushed to the middle, and just sitting to eat dinner was a claustrophobic catastrophe. The week-and-a-half-plus that we've spent sleeping with the kitties to keep them isolated from the downstairs construction/painting zone.

But I will miss hanging out with our contractor/guy, not to mention those tamales. (Oh, we'll find a way to get more of those, if we have to drive to Chocowinity to buy them in the store where she sells them.)